Britain became the first country to begin providing long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine on Thursday, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike Russian troops and supply dumps far behind the front lines.
Ukraine has been requesting long-range missiles for months, but cooperation from the UK and other allies such as the US has historically been limited to shorter-range weapons.
Britain’s Defence Minister, Ben Wallace, told parliament that “Russia must recognise that its actions alone have resulted in such systems being provided.
Wallace said the missiles “are now going into or are in the country itself.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged in February that Britain would be the first country to give Ukraine longer-range weapons.
The missiles give Ukraine capacity to strike well behind the front lines, including in Russia-occupied Crimea.
U.K. media reported that Ukraine has pledged not to use the missiles to attack Russia itself.
Wallace said the missiles would be used to push back Russian forces in “Ukrainian sovereign territory.”
The Kremlin earlier said that if Britain provided these missiles, it would require “an adequate response from our military.”
Russia has launched a flurry of long-range missile strikes against Ukraine in recent days. It has previously said such attacks were designed to degrade Kyiv’s ability to fight and that it does not deliberately target civilians.
Ukraine is expected to unleash a counteroffensive soon after six months of keeping its forces on the defensive. Russia mounted a huge winter offensive that failed to capture significant territory.
